The present invention generally relates to a surgical tool.
Pectus excavatum is a condition involving a congenital deformity of the anterior wall of the chest which results in a hollowed-in or sunken chest. In 1987, Dr. Donald Nuss invented a procedure for treating pectus excavatum which involves inserting one or more concave stainless steel bars under the sternum of a patient via one or more incisions in the side of the chest. These bars are then “flipped”, causing the sternum to “pop out”.
These bars are then left in the patient for several years while the sternum reforms to its new position. Generally, the process involves using one to three bars inside of the patient's chest to hold out the sternum, but sometimes when an insufficient number of bars are used inside of a patient, the bars fail and the patient's sternum pushes back into the patient's chest cavity. Traditionally, a doctor preforming the procedure has to judge how many bars will be needed based on factors such as a patient's age and the resistance of the sternum they feel when installing bars.
Needs exist for improvement in systems, methods, and apparatus for use in correcting pectus excavatum. These, and other needs, are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.